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Alias a.k.a Jessica Jones

Would love to credit the creator of this. It's pretty awesome. Only addition? Run like hell and plug your ears!

After a leisurely pace of about one episode a night, we finally finished Jessica Jones. I know you're on pins and needles, waiting to hear what I thought about it. Well . . . it was awesome and a must-see! It is a powerful piece of storytelling that was well crafted, although a bit repetitive in parts. The show felt like an incredibly great 10-episode season stretched out to a strong 13 episodes. I am actually not going to give any spoilers because this show is something that should be watched.

It is crazy what Alias became, given the fact that Brian Michael Bendis originally wanted to write about Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) because she had the best hair in comics (yes, he actually said that). But instead, he created Jones since Drew was involved in a larger Marvel plot. I actually emailed Bendis when he first started Ultimate Spiderman, about how nice it was to have one of my favorite characters reflect my own background. He emailed me back within a day!

Jessica Jones, the comic and show, both embrace my love of noir, powers not solving all problems, and repercussions for actions. It also highlights the truth that choosing to do the right thing is rarely easy. Within moments of the first episode, my buy-in was pretty high, not to mention David Tennant is my favorite "new" generation Doctor (sorry, but McCoy has and will always be my Doctor). And . . . MOTHERF'ING LUKE CAGE!!! Luke Cage was one of the first African American superheroes being introduced in 1972. He was ripped from the pages of Blaxploitation but has really come into himself over the last decade or so. It is the recent runs with Cage that made me a fan. That and the (minor spoiler) relationship between him and Jessica.

Having read the comic, I had a number of worries before starting the show. The largest of which was the lack of Carol Danvers and the use of Trish Walker, but I never missed Carol and think that the story actually played better in the series than the comic.

This short review would not be complete without a mention of Daredevil. The Daredevil series was good, my issues aside, but it did not have me wanting to come back and watch the next episode. Jessica Jones had me invested in the character, her own personal struggle, and the moral struggle between doing what you need to get by or to do the right thing. Daredevil was all fury and noise with little substance.

Jones actually played out what white male privilege looks like within its villain (a post for later when I do a spoiler version and tag in examples). I just want to stew on the show a bit longer, maybe do a re-watch (something I have not done and have no interest to do with Daredevil).

The funniest part was when my wife turned to me and said, "I know what super power I want in your next game." 10 guesses whose power was featured in this show, and it does not belong Jessica Jones.

If you haven't already, check the show out. I'd love to hear your thoughts.